The present invention relates to the decontamination of sorting rooms, such as mailrooms, where there exists a possibility that biological or chemical contaminants may be introduced to the sorting room along with the items being sorted. It finds particular application in combination with a two-part decontamination system in which the mail items are subjected to a systematic high level decontamination process, while the sorting room and equipment therein are decontaminated periodically or intermittently, such as when a biological or chemical hazard is detected or suspected. It will be appreciated that the invention also finds utility in other applications and with other sterilization and decontamination techniques.
Mail sorting facilities, at corporations that are potential terrorist threats or which handle large volumes of mail, face the concern that a letter or package containing a hazardous material, such as a pathogenic bacteria or chemical agent, could enter the facility along with the regular mail. It has been found that mail sorting equipment is capable of releasing spores of Bacillus anthracis, the causative agent of anthrax, contained in sealed envelopes into the environment. The airborne spores contaminate other mail and also the sorting equipment, posing hazards both to workers in the sorting room and to mail recipients.
The spores tend to travel beyond the original mail sorting room into other parts of the facility, such as through air ducts, doors, and windows, risking contamination to large areas of the facility. A single contaminated letter is capable of infecting an entire facility. This results in a considerable loss in time while remediation is effected, in addition to the risks posed to workers in the facility.
The present invention provides a new and improved system and method of treatment of mail handling facilities which overcome the above-referenced problems and others.